Board recognizes mentoring initiatives

SHELBY — Cleveland County Schools Board of Education honored the mentoring partnerships that have helped hundreds of students blossom inside the classroom.

During its regular meeting on Tuesday, the board approved a resolution declaring January as National Mentoring Month in Cleveland County.

Superintendent Stephen Fisher said it's been a blessing to Cleveland County Schools that so many individuals and organizations have dedicated their time to mentor the district's students. Fisher said hundreds of mentors — whether they are on their own or affiliated with an organization — reach hundreds of students each year.

"Most of these folks don't want recognition. They just want to make a difference," he said. "These types of initiatives are the things that truly make Cleveland County so great."

Among the most prominent of the mentoring programs in the county is Communities in Schools. Established in Cleveland County in 1992, CIS is a program meant to provide a continuous network of support for students in order to help them be successful in school and in life. Donnie Thurman Jr., school board member and CIS mentoring coordinator, said mentoring initiatives are crucial for many students to be successful in the classroom.

"We strive to remove obstacles from our students as best we can so teachers can do their jobs and teach," he said.

Board member Roger Harris said one of the worst parts of his tenure as Crest High School Principal was signing a student's drop out paperwork.

"It was rare that a student dropped out because they didn't have the intellect. Most of the time, it was due to something happening at home," he said. "Mentors address those things happening in a child's life ... Lives have been changed."

Though hundreds of volunteers are working with hundreds of CCS students each year, Thurman said they'll never turn away anyone who wants to help.

"We have more than 15,000 students in Cleveland County Schools," he said. "We need 15,000 mentors."